In recent years, the location for the formal unveiling of the annual Pirelli calendar has become almost as mythic as the iconic calendar itself. 
For the 2012 calendar event, Pirelli chose its new North American home of New York City, where it hosted a formal press conference at Guastavino’s (with the famed 59th Street Bridge as a backdrop) and an exclusive black-tie evening event hosted by Pirelli chairman and CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera at The Armory, a 19th century military landmark in the city.
The 2012 "Calendario Pirelli" represents a return to more traditional territory. Shot entirely on the island of Corsica – and for the first time by an Italian photographer – the 18 stark black/white and seven color images by Mario Sorrenti place a strong emphasis on natural beauty. The package is presented in a canvas-lined portfolio, a format that Pirelli said has never been used before.
Sorrenti worked with nine models and three actresses – including Kate Moss, Milla Jovovich, Margareth Madè and Rinko Kikuchi – to produce the 2012 edition, which is titled “Swoon,” a name chosen to represent “ecstasy captured by images.”
Also appearing in the 2012 calendar are Isabeli Fontana, Natasha Poly, Saskia de Brauw, Lara Stone, Joan Small, Guinevere Van Seenus, Malgosia, and Edita Vilkeviciute.
